topic No consistency in postage in Buying

No consistency in postage

kojakshouse1 — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 17:31:24 GMT

Good old Ebay - ripping people off , if your outside the US - in effect with the GSP you pay twice for shipping - the seller posts to the Ebay shipping facility ( you pay for that ) and then you again for it to be shipped from there

And for the life of me - why is the cost so erratic - same item and you get 100 different prices - from the correct to the insane and everything in between !!

US sellers are the laziest and just throw a random weight - come Ebay get it right **bleep** , it's 2017 and the postage stuff ups are from the stone age

Re: No consistency in postage

heihachi_73 — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 20:00:14 GMT

Most US sellers probably don't even know that it is costing upwards of A$30 to send items (even letter-rate items like DVDs), I believe sellers on ebay.com were automatically opted into the GSP without even knowing it - just like Australian sellers were opted into the Woolworths Click and Collect rubbish a year or two ago. I would take the USPS any day over Australia Post too.

With even the slightest bit of competition, even your Hot Wheels cars could end up at half the postage price and attract a ton of local buyers. If a parcel is the size and weight of a bar of soap, you're automatically being screwed by the system. Half the items I send would be cheaper for me to get on the train and drop them off at the buyer's house! And then there is the dreaded wait, where Australia Post closes its doors or Friday afternoon (or Saturday morning) and you have half a dozen items to send. Woe be you if it's April or December and there are a bunch of long weekends and extra Saturdays, Sundays and Monday and Tuesday surrogate holidays in the wake. It really does show how backward this country in general really is. The current government belong in the Edwardian era, as does Australia Post.

Re: No consistency in postage

phorum_junkie* — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 07:11:19 GMT

I think there is a lot more to it than US sellers being lazy. If they use GSP they are covered against items going missing, low stars for late delivery, parcels being held by customs etc, they also have lower admin costs because they do not have to do anything other than send the parcel to the depot.

Re: No consistency in postage

kojakshouse1 — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 07:21:08 GMT

Doesn't change the facts of double postage costs to the buyer and the inconsistent prices charged by all sellers - one seller wants to charge US $22.95 - the next wants US $44 for the same item and yet another wants even more - out of 100 sellers their would be lucky to have 2 charge the same price - someone explain to me how that works ?
Simple economics on Feebays part - monopolize the postage market too - either way atm Intl buyers are getting screwed by US Ebay

Re: No consistency in postage

davewil1964 — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 08:28:35 GMT

@kojakshouse1 wrote:
Doesn't change the facts of double postage costs to the buyer and the inconsistent prices charged by all sellers - one seller wants to charge US $22.95 - the next wants US $44 for the same item and yet another wants even more - out of 100 sellers their would be lucky to have 2 charge the same price - someone explain to me how that works ?
Simple economics on Feebays part - monopolize the postage market too - either way atm Intl buyers are getting screwed by US Ebay

The sellers AREN'T doing the charging; the GSP is. And there is a fair chance that 50 or more of the 100 wouldn't sell to you because you are not in the USA. Which is reasonable, given eBay's ridiculous blame the seller for everything policies. I don't post outside of Australia, except for the occasional sale to NZ. If eBay bring a GSP to Australia, I won't care as I'll be shipping to an Australian address, not other parts of the world. And I won't be selling overseas outside of the GSP.

it apparently depends on whether or not the seller puts weight and dimension data in their listings. Most wouldn't if they think they are selling within the US at a flat rate. In which case Pitney Bowes works out the cost, allegedly, by referring to similar items previously sent.

There are many threads about this - maybe read some.

Re: No consistency in postage

kojakshouse1 — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 08:36:20 GMT

Ok so please explain to me how i can get a box delivered that weighs 16 pounds and cost US $58 - yet a single Hot Wheels car that weighs less than a single pound , sellers or albeit Ebay want to charge $50+ ?

This post is about the discrepancy in postage prices from one seller to another to another - what about the US seller that offers free shipping in the US , yet it's never reflected in the GSP - end of day we are getting screwed over

Re: No consistency in postage

davewil1964 — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 08:44:03 GMT

@kojakshouse1 wrote:
Ok so please explain to me how i can get a box delivered that weighs 16 pounds and cost US $58 - yet a single Hot Wheels car that weighs less than a single pound , sellers or albeit Ebay want to charge $50+ ?

This post is about the discrepancy in postage prices from one seller to another to another - what about the US seller that offers free shipping in the US , yet it's never reflected in the GSP - end of day we are getting screwed over

Simple. Pitney Bowes sets the price if the seller doesn't provide adequate details. As I said. And suggested further reading.

I don't buy through the GSP, and never will, so it is a first world problem, as far as I'm concerned. As always, if total price including postage is acceptable, buy. If not, don't.

Re: No consistency in postage

kojakshouse1 — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 08:50:54 GMT

Oh i agree - except for the price difference , regardless if seller goes through GSP or USPS - why such a huge difference ?
Should be one simple price for weight etc - not rocket science .

Oh and have you bought something and then seller / ebay wants more than you know it actuallu costs ? Of coursse you have

Re: No consistency in postage

davewil1964 — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 09:31:53 GMT

@kojakshouse1 wrote:
Oh i agree - except for the price difference , regardless if seller goes through GSP or USPS - why such a huge difference ?
Should be one simple price for weight etc - not rocket science .

Oh and have you bought something and then seller / ebay wants more than you know it actuallu costs ? Of coursse you have

No. I know what postage normally costs. OR, I decide that the total price is what I am prepared to pay. So the 'then' doesn't happen as I know what the cost is when I buy.

I really don't give a rats whether something cost $20 free post, $13 + $7 postage, or $10 + $10 postage. The seller pays fees on the $20 regardless, and all things being equal ($20), I will buy from whichever seller I feel is best.

I certainly don't come whinging to the boards with nebulous questions that I will ignore the answers to.

Re: No consistency in postage

lyndal1838 — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 12:24:13 GMT

@kojakshouse1 wrote:
Ok so please explain to me how i can get a box delivered that weighs 16 pounds and cost US $58 - yet a single Hot Wheels car that weighs less than a single pound , sellers or albeit Ebay want to charge $50+ ?

This post is about the discrepancy in postage prices from one seller to another to another - what about the US seller that offers free shipping in the US , yet it's never reflected in the GSP - end of day we are getting screwed over

It is a recognised fact that the GSP is much more cost effective for large/heavy items. Nobody denies this at all.

The majority of US sellers offer free posting in the USA, whether the GSP is used or not. You get two receipts when you pay for an item being sent with the GSP.

The seller gets the amount of his invoice, whether it is free postage or includes an amount for postage within the USA. The second amount which is the amount for Pitney Bowes to process the item and send it to Australia goes directly to Pitney Bowes....the seller never sees it at all.

Most sellers who will send directly to Australia are using the postal service (USPS) whether they are using the most cost effective First Class International Service or the more expensive Priority International or Express International. They are definitely more cost effective than the GSP but cannot be compared in price with the GSP which is a COURIER service.

Re: No consistency in postage

kojakshouse1 — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 14:19:51 GMT

I'm very aware of the above .
Firstly you sound like a employee of Ebays .
Secondly - what has any of the above got to do with the out and out price differences between sellers ?

Go into a large seller ( 10k + items ) find a Hot Wheels car and go through list = 50 items and 50 different shipping prices - that is the reason for this post .

How can the same thing be be charged at random prices ?

Check 5 sellers - all using USPS Priority and all have DIFFERENT prices and it can fluctuate from $5 to $40 + - so explain to me

Re: No consistency in postage

*tippy*toes* — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 15:45:42 GMT

Awwww, Lyndal, apparently you're working for eBay again. If that's the case, can you do something about the fees I'm being charged this month. I want them at mates rates seeing as though you're an eBay employee and I'm your mate.

OP, it's been explained multiple times why the prices fluctuate. If you don't like the price, don't buy it. Simple. I buy a lot of model cars from the US and if I think something is over priced once the postage is factored in, I don't buy it. If the overall cost is reasonable to me, I do. It ain't rocket science. Oh, and I don't buy from sellers who use GSP......unless the item is large and heavy.

Re: No consistency in postage

kojakshouse1 — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 16:32:53 GMT

Omg - what part of this post don't you get ??
The question is a simple one - why is their such large discrepancy in the price charged from seller to seller !

I understand the difference between USPS & GSP - but why oh why is it so damn hard to understand the damn question i asked ??
Go look at a item and you will see 100 sellers have 100 different prices on postage - what part of that DON'T YOU GET ??
But your like the rest of the sheep in the flock , just follow the crowd - so can anybody just answer the above question without going into USPS or GSP - the damn question has NOTHING to do with the carrier .

For the not so smart people on here - WHY are their so many different prices for the same thing using the SAME carrier ?

Re: No consistency in postage

lyndal1838 — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 16:33:34 GMT

I presume you are replying to me....maybe learn to reply use the Reply button to indicate who you are answering.

No. I am not an ebay employee....if I were my posts would be highlighted in pink to indicate the fact. Ebay employees do not reply on the boards.

Could you put up some item numbers to show what you are talking about? You seem to be confusing USPS mail with the GSP which is a Courier service.

As far as different sellers having different prices for the same service......there are many things that can influence that. Some will have tracking and insurance, some will not. Some sellers in the US live in the middle of nowhere and have to have their mail picked up from their homes....I imagine that would cost something.

Re: No consistency in postage

kojakshouse1 — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 16:36:36 GMT

You explained nothing - my question has nothing to do with the overall price - the question was about postage price discrepancy
Did the Thread read - are you happy to pay high postage if your happy with the price overall ? NO IT DID NOT

Re: No consistency in postage

kojakshouse1 — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 16:40:14 GMT

I give up - can somebody plz advise how to delte this thread as totally pointless to continue

Re: No consistency in postage

lyndal1838 — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 16:47:56 GMT

You cannot delete the thread. It is a public forum and once you have posted the thread is available for anyone to answer.

But I do agree with you that it is pointless to continue with it unless posters actually read the answers to their questions.

Re: No consistency in postage

cezm — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 19:42:39 GMT

@kojakshouse1 wrote:

Go into a large seller ( 10k + items ) find a Hot Wheels car and go through list = 50 items and 50 different shipping prices - that is the reason for this post .

How can the same thing be be charged at random prices ?

Check 5 sellers - all using USPS Priority and all have DIFFERENT prices and it can fluctuate from $5 to $40 + - so explain to me

Perhaps asking the sellers involved why they charge different prices is the way to go.

Re: No consistency in postage

*tippy*toes* — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 03:18:31 GMT

I think I mentioned to you last night about being abusive towards other members isn't a good thing. I'd suggest you stop. Unless the seller is using the GSP, they put a postage amount in. If they have a flat rate for international shipments, they may put in say $30 for postage. Some countries will cost more than that, some countries will be less, so for the seller, the costs even out. Other sellers will use calculated postage, so eBay dictate the cost that they think it should be for the carrier being used. They will take into consideration the weight and size of the parcel. If the seller doesn't put weight or parcel size in, or they put the wrong one, then the cost won't reflect the true cost.

Sellers usually add a bit extra to their postage as ebay charges fees on the postage. The extra bit is to cover the fees. Sellers often add a handling cost. That amount can vary between sellers. Some absorb the costs of the packaging they use, others charge the buyer for it. Cost can also be different if the seller uses a more expensive service, like express, or a service that provides tracking and insurance. There are many factors why the postage cost will be different between sellers. These are just a few examples.

Re: No consistency in postage

go-tazz — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 05:28:42 GMT

@kojakshouse1 wrote:
I'm very aware of the above .

Go into a large seller ( 10k + items ) find a Hot Wheels car and go through list = 50 items and 50 different shipping prices - that is the reason for this post .

How can the same thing be be charged at random prices ?

Check 5 sellers - all using USPS Priority and all have DIFFERENT prices and it can fluctuate from $5 to $40 + - so explain to me
Some sellers still believe that they don't have to pay FVF's on postage and by adding a higher postage cost

to the item they believe they make more money,(so the higher postage is part of the item sale).

Eg:they sell the item at a lower price with higher postage.

This also puts them higher up in search results if buyers search by Price: lowest first,(a $10 item with $40

postage will appear a lot higher up than a $40 item with $10 postage.

If you search another way you will get items at lots of different prices and postage amounts and it wont

make much sense.